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Today I received a letter from BATFE. Actually, I may have received it a few days ago. I found it on my front porch this afternoon. It came FedEx Ground and I guess they just dropped it on my porch. It was a Warning Notice saying that I'd purchased items from Diversified Machine which have been identified (by BATFE) as being "silencer parts". The letter states that the parts are not registered to me and therefore I may be in violation of various statutes, laws, ordnances, or other commands and dictates from BATFE.

Anyway, I thought it was interesting. I wrote a letter in response explaining that I did indeed purchase components from Diversified Machine and that I had constructed a suppressor, just as they had feared. I also included with my response letter a copy of the tax stamp paperwork I got from BATFE which I received in response to the Form 1 submission done by the NFA Trust I set up. I suppose that's why they didn't list me personally as having registered a suppressor, it is in the Trust's name.

I'm assuming this will go nowhere once they get my letter with the tax paperwork.

I seem to have sorted out all of my suppressor issues! A big part of the problem was that I wasn't keeping the proximal end cap (the one that connects to the rifle) tight enough. I'd cut my internal spacer a little long to allow for internal components to compress, and had not firmly tightened both the proximal and distal caps. My thinking was that I wanted maximum threads engaged at each end rather than one cap fully tight and the other not. What happened was that each time I shot and compressed/rattled the internal components the tube would sag a little. It wasn't visible nor obvious, but it caused enough variation to cause the bullet to deviate from it's intended path.

The solution, once I figured that out, was obvious. I firmly tightened the proximal cap first, and then tightened the distal cap as much as possible, which left a few threads for taking up slack. After doing that I've been going for quite a while now with no problems. I just check the distal cap occasionally and tighten as necessary.

Latest video — Some talking and video of hogs at night. Just jump to the 2-minute mark if you only want the shooting action.



Rifle is a 300 Blackout shooting Hornady 110 grain SP bullets. The optic is an IR Hunter MK3 60mm Thermal Weapon Sight.

Yeah, I have an original Photon IR scope on another rifle. It's very useful out to about 80-100 yards, more if there's moonlight and the target isn't in shadow. In the early pre-dawn time (about an hour before actual sunup) I can see hogs a half mile distant if they're in the open even though I can't see anything 20 yards away in the darkness. The sky starts to light up enough at that time to make the IR scope very useful. BUT, sighting it in can be difficult. I haven't figured out a real good method. At an indoor range it's basically impossible. Outdoors, in bright sunlight, I can put a shade over the lens to reduce the glare and barely see a high contrast target.

I'm (pretty) sure there's a good way to sight in an IR scope, but I haven't found it yet.

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 5:43 pm What optic are you using?

It's an IR Hunter MK3 60mm thermal weapon sight.
I think Trijicon bought IR Hunter a year or two ago, so it may be marketed under that brand now.

Normally the video is MUCH better. I'm going to see if I can repair my old cable.

I've been continuing to play/work with this suppressor over the past year or so, and I believe I'm getting everything sorted out. The POI still changes sometimes after bouncing the rifle around for a while, but things have settled in to a satisfactory degree. I'm using it regularly on hogs these days. Here's a video of a recent hunt. The victim was a 195 Lb boar which was shot at a distance of about 75 yards.



The video quality leaves something to be desired. I think my cable is causing some difficulty but you'll get the idea …

A bit of follow-up:

I got the suppressor together, and shot it on my AR-10 and my 300 BLK, putting several hundred rounds through it over a period of several weeks. At first the POI kept shifting as the components packed together. Following Andy's advice I had cut the initial spacer a little long, so I had some threads left to tighten things up. I've actually used up all the slack I had available so I'm going to add a little more spacer soon. Meanwhile it's shooting more consistently, and I've learned a few more things.

The primary use of this suppressor is hog hunting. However, I kept missing the hogs at which I was aiming. Sometimes I'd miss a hog that was less than 100 yards distant by a couple of feet! I'd sight in the suppressor, put the rifle in the truck, and then drive around the property. Sometimes I'd drive back and forth several times across the place (700 acres) over a day or two. I think the bouncing around in the truck caused the POI to shift (we're talking not just dirt roads, but next to NO road in places). Lately I've shot the AR-10, then mounted the suppressor, and put the rounds within an inch of where the rifle shot w/o the suppressor. I've also shot the suppressor on consecutive days, taking care to remove and re-install it, and the rifle shoots to the same place. My conclusion, just mounting the suppressor doesn't change the POI significantly. The next experiment will be to wait until I see some hogs, then mount the suppressor and see if I can hit anything. I'm thinking that should work.

Another thing — I wondered if I might be having baffle strikes. I took the suppressor apart several times and couldn't see evidence of strikes, but close examination of the holes I drilled in the baffles showed that some were just a little irregular. Using a 300 BLK round as a gauge, I came up with this method for comparison:

>

This photo shows that the holes were not all exactly the same size, or weren't perfectly round. I used a round file to 'polish' the holes until they were all pretty much identical. There were still some slight differences, so I 'graded' the baffles and installed the slightly larger ones toward the distal end of the suppressor so that the bullet encountered larger openings as it traveled.

As for noise suppression, it's pretty impressive. It REALLY quiets the AR-10. The 300 BLK isn't as loud to begin with so the reduction is less noticeable. Still, when I shoot subsonic ammo I can hear the bullet hit the target! Suppressed ammo with the Blackout sounds like shooting a .22. Nice!

I'll still experiment a little with carrying/driving around with the suppressor mounted, but for the near term I'll just wait to put it on until I'm getting ready to shoot a hog. We'll see how that works out.

The description says it is.

Quoting from the Griffin Armament web site: "The Griffin Armament Paladin Brake is an affordable compact 2-Port Taper Mount muzzle device that is compatible with all of our taper mount silencers and accessories. "

Okay, third time was the charm. I finally received a reply, and it was informative.

The old Taper Mount Muzzle Brake is no longer available.
It has been replaced by the Paladin 2 Port Brake. These are available. I have ordered one.

I do wish I could have learned this earlier … but at least this issue seems to be resolving.

AndyC wrote:Well, heck.

I just send them a FB message and got an auto-response:

Thanks for messaging us.

If you have product questions, please email info@griffinarmament.com.

If you need any technical assistance, please email tech@griffinarmament.com.

Thanks,
Griffin Armament Team

Well, I have just sent off my third email in as many months to info@griffinarmament.com inquiring as to when the 5/8 X 24 thread (.308) Taper Mount Muzzle Brake might be available. So far I have yet to receive any response whatsoever. Maybe the third time will be the charm.

AndyC wrote:Other retailers sell Griffin brakes - try them.

I can't find anyone who has them in stock.

I'm looking for the Taper Mount Muzzle Brake with 5/8 X 24 threads for a .308 rifle. The minimalist brake is available some places, but that's not what I'm after. I have a saved Google search for — griffin muzzle brake "taper mount" that I run a few times a week. I check several different places each time, but them things just ain't to be found. At this point in time I have no clue when/if I'll be able to buy one. (sigh)

der Teufel wrote:… I built this up specifically for my 300 BLK rifle, but figured I can also use it on my AR-10 — except that the Griffin Taper Mount Muzzle Brakes are suddenly made of unobtanium. Apparently Griffin is retooling, and the shelves are bare. Oh well, I still get to try it out and the AR-10 will just have to wait a while for its turn.
--

(sigh) Two months later and the Griffin Taper Mount Muzzle Brakes are still unavailable for a .308. I've emailed them twice without response. I'm starting to get concerned — I may need to adopt a different mounting strategy and purchase some different parts if I ever hope to use my suppressor on my AR-10.

Does anyone know what's going on WRT Griffin? I heard they were retooling, but I also heard the parts would be available before the end of February. It's now the end of March.

AndyC wrote:Hmmmm. Are you using the challenge coin inside the can to keep it tight?

Mine uses no coin (because I literally forgot about it during the build, dummy that I am) but I've had no issues keeping mine tight onto the Griffin device.

I didn't use the challenge coin based on earlier comments. The suppressor isn't coming loose at the Griffin muzzle brake, but rather at the connection between the muzzle end cap and the tube. I have to keep tightening the tube to the cap. I made the spacer about 1/8" long in order to allow me to take up slack as it developed, and that's turned out to be a good suggestion. As the freeze plugs have compressed together the cap/tube connection requires tightening.

Perhaps I should try putting in the coin. In my build I have the large spacer into which the Griffin muzzle brake extends, then the first baffle (into which I drilled four extra small holes as you described in one of your posts). I then have a much smaller spacer, just over 1/2" in length, then the second baffle with two small holes. The rest of the tube is just plain baffles. I could replace the small spacer with yet a slightly smaller spacer and add the challenge coin. The overall length wouldn't change. If I continue to see problems perhaps I'll do that.

OTOH, I'm hoping the internals will soon compress down and stop changing - at which point I expect things to normalize.

We'll see …

Meanwhile, I greatly appreciate all the advice and encouragement I've received so far!
--

The Annoyed Man wrote:

AndyC wrote: Pro-tip - cut your blast-chamber about 1/8" longer than you measured, because the plugs will settle a little bit after the first 10 rounds or so.

Yep yep yep! He's right. It may take 100 rounds, but it WILL settle in.

You guys were correct!

I've probably shot ~125 rounds through my suppressor so far, and it continues to settle in and require tightening. What I'm finding is that as I do this, the point of aim shifts. I was out at my hunting spot last weekend, and just couldn't shoot straight! Every time I'd start getting consistent results, the suppressor would require tightening and I'd start all over. I visited the local range this afternoon, and had the same experience. It does seem to be getting better but it's not stable yet.

This afternoon I first shot the rifle without the suppressor, just the Griffin muzzle brake, and was able to produce two shots touching at 50 yards twice in a row. So, I figure the rifle is good. I mounted the suppressor, and it shot six inches low. I got it to center, but then it started moving, which meant it needed to be tightened. I went through this activity 4-5 times before I concluded I just need to shoot it more and let it do it's thing. As mentioned above, the variation does seem to be decreasing so I think it's getting where it wants to be. I'm thinking it should settle in soon.

Going out to the hog hunting spot again this weekend, and I'll shoot some more! Hmm, I better get busy loading ammo …

The Annoyed Man wrote:Excellent! Congratulations on getting it put together. Fun, isn't it?

It was indeed a fun and interesting challenge. If the Hearing Protection Act passes, I'll probably do another one or two.

I noticed, however, that the links on page 2 of this thread that TAM originally posted regarding parts from SD Tactical Arms are now 404 and I can't find the threaded tubes on their web site. I wonder if they're undergoing some changes, or if they've quit offering component pieces. I may have to call and find out what's up.

Here's the 'nekkid' photo — without the cover. It looks pretty much like TAM's with the Griffin adapter.



I got the stamp between Christmas and New Year's, and quickly put it together. Then nature and family obligations conspired to prevent me from trying it out until last week. I'm pretty happy overall. With subsonic ammo my 300 Blackout sounds about like a .22 now.